Fundamental importance of Fatima

 

It is my firm belief that Fatima is one of the most tangible events in Modern Day History of the Roman Catholic Church. Our Lady’s Revelation was of God’s plan to bring Peace to the World. This message of hope and joy was made during a time of horrific upheavals Worldwide, notably the First World War, the Irish Rebellion and the Russian Revolution. Our Blessed Mother’s plea for prayer and fasting was possible then. However in today’s World, fasting has been cast aside as archaic and medieval. Many Catholics seem to focus mainly on abstaining from food and drink; however we can use many other forms of abstinence to strengthen our self-control against the lures of this world. For example, we could restrict our viewing time of Television for at least 20 minutes per night, thus enabling us to spend quality time talking with our family, teaching them the wonderful benefits of the Sacraments and encourage the family to attend Sunday Mass.

Contrary to what many Catholics have heard, the road to Heaven is a hard and tough road and definitely not a stroll in the park. Without God’s help and clearer teaching from the Church, we will find it very difficult to make it on our own. Never forget that Our Lady has appeared at numerous places all over the World during the last 2 Centuries. Millions of pilgrims visit them on a yearly basis. What happens during these visions are of paramount importance. Catholics can no longer stand idly by while our Faith is rapidly disappearing throughout the World. We must step back and take stock of what is happening, in our Parishes, our cities, our countries and our world.

The Church is facing moral Bankruptcy and the stifling of Spiritual Growth through the spread of Materialism. More serious is the fertile ground of Christianity (the family) has become barren and desolate, with people now more concerned with what can be bought and sold instead of what’s in their heart and soul. Here is an example of the dangers that lie ahead: In the space of a week after releasing the ‘Pokémon Go’ game which has spread like wild-fire throughout the World, Nintendo’s Stock Market value rose by more than $12 billion!

The message of our Blessed Mother must be taken seriously. It is imperative that we stop cluttering up our minds with useless information fed to us by the Media, News, Television, Radio, the Press, game consoles, the internet etc. By acting upon her messages, we will come closer to our Holy Mother and deeper into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and thus closer to Eternal Life.

Recently Our Lady has been quoted as saying what had begun in Fatima will be fulfilled in Medjugorje. This of course may be just hearsay, but who knows for sure? This year we have reached 3 milestones in Modern World History: The Centenaries of the First World War Battle of the Somme, the Irish Rebellion and the Russian Revolution. In October next year, the Centenary of Fatima will be celebrated by millions of Catholics Worldwide. I ponder on how many will be ready for this momentous event? People need to be reminded of the many appearances of our Holy Mother. Surely it gives us a sign that God is not sitting idly by, but is encouraging the Human Race not to lose faith in him. We must never forget that the World rejected his Peace plan. It is now paying the awful price for its actions. The only solutions lie with God and his Holy Mother and supported by a fully united Church, Clergy and Laity.

 

Snow (1984)

The snow on the ground is six feet deep.

I’m watching the snow flakes fall, though I

Should be fast asleep.

It’s just so exciting thinking of tomorrow’s fun.

The snowman I’ll build, and the long sledge run.

Snowball fights, with my best friend.

Oh I wish this night would come to an end.

The forecast is snow for at least a week.

With all this excitement how could I sleep?

The Lepers (1988)

 

I have often thought of the lepers ten

You know the ones jesus made clean and healthy again

Disgusting wretches, save but just one

Couldn’t they have said “Thank You?”

After all he had done?

But wait just a minute,

Oh the disgrace.

It’s hit me dear Jesus like a slap in the face.

 

I belong to that group of nine.

You cleanse me from the Leprosy of sin,

time after time.

Forgive me Jesus Lord

Of the present, the future and the past

I returned to say,

“Thank You” at last.

Daddy’s Welcome speech at Celtic Reunion

Dear Friends, Old Pals

This is a dream come true

How splendid, what a pleasure

To spend the evening with you

There is so much to talk about

I know we will recall

Every magical moment of our

Careers in football

I’m sure you’ll enjoy your meal

If in patches, between corners,

Penalties and our triumphant matches.

So let’s make this a night to bring

A sparkle to our eyes

As we remember the days

Back in “Paradise”

The Wonder of God’s beauty revealed through the eyes of innocence. Short poems by a dear deceased friend of mine, Pauline McKenna (nee McAlinden) daughter of the late Jimmy McAlinden of Belfast Celtic and Northern Ireland fame and an F.A. Cup Medal winner with Portsmouth.

Praising Jesus

I want to praise you Jesus

don’t let me feel shy

we both know I’m not worthy

but do you want me to try?

 

My love for you is selfish

At least this much I know

Only with your help Dear Jesus

I know my love will grow.

 

It’s a task I have come to relish

And although I am full of pride

I can overcome it with you

Close by my side.

Freedom (1981)

I searched for Jesus everywhere

Then realised “He” was always there

Patient and loving and willing to share,

His Holy Spirit with all who would care,

To trust in Jesus Crucified,

Who forgave our sins even as he died

A horrendous death on Calvary

our triumphant saviour set us free.

Invite Jesus into your life

Put an end to worry and strife

Live with inner tranquillity

Which Jesus purchased for you and me!

The Potato (1977)

I never thought of myself as a SPUD                              

Even while living in all that MUD

After all King Edward was my name

I thought I had every right to Fame

One day I was picked and thrown in a sack

Then a strong man carried me off on his back

I was chopped, peeled and generally pulled asunder

I’m famous now,

I’m “Golden Wonder!”

         SATANS    INFLUENCE    IN    TODAYS    WORLD?

 

 How dangerous is satan and his evil spirit, to the welfare of the catholic faith, in today’s world.  Most information we have comes from the bible.  We are told he was present many times in the garden of Eden, and later on in the book of Job.  In the New Testament,  his encounters with Christ is well documented.  The temptations of Christ in the desert and in the garden of Gethsemane.  There are many other occasions when Jesus came in contact with satans demonic spirit that are recorded in the bible.  The function of this spirit is to cause confusion, disharmony, to separate, pull asunder, all that Christ had established here on earth.  To assist us to get a better picture of satan, Iwould strongly advise everyone to read ST Pauls letter to the (THESSALONIANS CHAPTER TWO) it will take four minutes to read.  So scripture in its self proves the existence of satan.  In any war, it ts common practice among armies that to defeat your enemies, you must learn, all you can about, who and what you are up against.  What confuses me most is the lack of knowledge on this subject that is not given to the laity.  It is quite evident the spirit of disharmony is spreading rapidly worldwide.  Division within the church, breakdown of marriages, weak morality, abortion, poverty, wars, etc, etc.  Yet more serious, is the turning away from God, to follow the ways and pleasures of this world.  I personally support the authority of the church, but question the attitude with those who pursue the modernistic approach, especially the view , there is nothing divine in sacred tradition.  We can see the effect this has, by the fast decline of the faith.  There are many Catholics who have little or no faith, but keep up the external practice of their faith, perhaps out of loyalty of some childhood fantasy, or just a habit forming ritual.  We must never forget, Christ gave His life for us that we might live in harmony, with God, and with each other.  Only through a united church, clergy and laity, will we ever attain true peace.  To change our life style will not be easy.  Parents must attend Sunday mass with their families, and families should spend ten minutes in family prayer each night.  That would do for a start.  Just think, three quarters of an hour at mass on Sundays and ten minutes nightly lakes a total of two hours to complete.  The time it takes to watch a football match.  As regards to the clergy, they need to examine, the methods and contents of their sermons.  By celebrants on their approach to the sanctity of holy mass, from beginning to end leaves something to be desired.  To convince the people, that their true desire is out of love for God.  By what they say and how they say it, what they do and how they do it.  In time, hopefully this will incite the laity, to participate as one, praising God.  Holy Mass must not become a spiritual ritual, done out of habit.  Our failure to return to the church, holy mass ,the sacraments, especially(confession)to the praise, glory, worship of God, we will have no future.  So many believe they are unworthy or unable to please God, so they don’t try.  No one is worthy of perfect praise.  But out of His great love for us, God contents Himself with our imperfect worship.  With this thought in mind, we must never give up on prayer.  Neither must we give up on our church and its teachings.  It is the only organisitation that keeps us fully in touch with God, and it is , the channel in which Gods graces are passed on to us.  This is the only sure way of defeating the forces of evil that grips today’s modern world.

GOD       BLESS

         

IS    THE    KINGDOM    OF    HEAVEN    WORTH    THE     HASSLE

In my previous blog, i spoke of the enormity of sin and the consequences of it.  At the outset (original sin) it angered God so much, He banished Lucifer and his followers into the pit of darkness, from where there is no reprieve.  What of the human race? Not having the clarity as that of the fallen angels, God was lenient with them.  After being stripped of all the gifts given to them by God they were expelled from paradise.  By this action they inherited, all the evils, sicknesses, pains, and sadness’s of this world.  This eventually led to bodily death.  The effects of which remain with us to this very day.  Why was God so angry it forced Him to these harsh actions?  If i could hazard a guess, i would say that both angels and humans, spurned the love of God for their own selfish reasons, believing they could exclude God and go it alone.  How wrong they were.  All the precious gifts we had, eternal love, eternal life, eternal joys, and so much more.  It would blow your mind just trying to digest the sheer delights of Gods Kingdom.  Nowhere on earth comes anywhere near it.  All this was tossed away because of our selfish greed for power.  Bad as this modern world may be, through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Chris.  His Passion, earned for us, complete salvation.  We have Gods word He will restore all that was lost.  All we have to do is listen to Him and follow the way He has shown us.  The way that ieads to paradise.  We find that way in the bible, in holy mass, in the sermons, guidance from our Holy Mother and  the rosaries, the wonderful gifts of the sacraments.  That’s how we regain Gods favour and His gift of eternal life.  In scripture, Christ stated, to attain heaven was likened to discovering a great treasure or a pearl so precious that we would sacrifice everything just to obtain it, this great eternal joy awaits everyone.  All we have to do is to love Him and live the way he taught us.  We save up money for a bigger house, new car, holidays in the sun and all the latest gadgets, that in tine will disappear.  Heaven will not disappear, it exists forever.  I do not say we should discard all earthly goods.  Yet we must invest heavily in our heavenly future, for your own sakes, for your families and relations and friends.  Strive to bring to mind the wonders of heaven we knew as children.  Due to the progress of modern society, our minds are so cluttered up our dreams have been put on the back burner.  We must make an effort to ignite this into a bright flame.  Every effort will be richly rewarded, rewards no one can take away.  As Christ said, all who live and believe in Me will never die.  Much of heaven is beyond our scope, just believe it.  Our God has said so and we all believe in GOD, don’t we?    

GOD    BLESS    YOU 

                                A      CALL      TO      ARMS

Since the beginning of time until the end of time, a furious spiritual battle has been raging between the forces of good under God, and the forces of evil under satan.  At the centre of this great struggle is the spiritual destiny of every created soul.  The modern world has forgotten the seriousness of this struggle. At least sixty per cent of Christians have forgotten the enormous dangers of losing this struggle.  At least eighty per cent of catholics completely ignore it.  In the meantime the forces of evil are making massive inroads into the Christian communities, especially the catholic faith and its church, satan’s arch enemy.  The clergy and the laity have come under attack over the last one hundred years, e.g the many scandals, the rapid decline of the priesthood.  In today’s world large numbers of laity are deserting the church and its teachings.  These are dark and threatening times for all civilisations.  However we must not despair, we must trust in God still.  These trials are nothing new to us.  Since Christ established His church on earth over two thousand years ago, many attempts, led by satan, to destroy the church, e g. Caesar, Napoleon, Cromwell, Hitler, Stalin, just to mention a few.  Christ’s church is still standing while all their empires have disappeared and we have Gods word it will stand until the end of time.  Our Blessed Mother, during Her appearances at Lourdes and Fatima, has requested that everyone must stand up for our God.  We must enter the fight against evil.  The chosen people of God(the Israelites) in their long journey to the promised land, encountered many enemies and fought numerous battles before reaching their destination.  As they engaged every enemy force they marched behind the ark of the covenant, then with Gods support they were victorious in every battle.  We too must march behind the new and glorious ark of the covenant, Our Blessed Mother, and in doing so we will scatter the evils that engulf us.  Never forget that final victory belongs to God alone. Until that day arrives, we must renew our efforts and openly profess our loyalty, to God, His Holy Mother, and the Church.  If there is any doubt of how loathsome sin is to God, then look at the crucifix.  That’s the price God demanded for the reconciliation between Himself and mankind.  If the need was not so immense, would such a sacrifice been called for?.  Does not that sacrifice throw a fearful light upon the need of it?.  And if that need is denied, does it make the sacrifice unintelligible?  We are not asked to enter the battle unarmed.  Our Blessed Mother has supplied us with assult weapons, each holds a clip of sixty rounds.  How many clips we need depends on how each individual commits themselves to the battle.  Our weapons and clips are our rosary beads.  In any great battle, the foot soldiers make up the largest part of any army, but they need supported by heavy artillery.  We can receive the greatest help in the world by our attendance at Holy Mass as often as possible.  In addition we have our guardian angels, the sacraments, the saints and the support of Holy Mother Church.  If we all join up it makes us a formidable army, pitted against the forces of evil.  By doing so we will dispel many of the evils that threaten us and our children.  Do not doubt any of this.  True self esteem comes from understanding your value to God.  It is important we begin to change our ways and habits.  Unless we fight back our situation will become more hopeless

N.B.  To those who read this blog and who live in Holy Cross Parish or nearby, at eight P. M. every Tuesday at Our Lady’s grotto, Berwick Road and every sat at twelve noon.  Rosaries offered up for the clergy worldwide, and the salvation of all souls .

EVERY ONE IS WELCOME

GOD BLESS                                            

     

                                                     ETERNAL     LIFE                              

Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, promised us eternal life, if we stay faithful to His teachings.  Here is a question, how many of us ever give much thought to what that really means? There is no easy answer.  However i will attempt to voice my own views on this topic, and pray that they may steer some souls back to God. 

Let us start with the grey haired brigade, of which i am proud to be a member of.  The old, the wrinkled and tired members of our faith, without whose courage and staying power there would be no faith in the world today.  Now compare the age of an eighty years old soul with that of the soul of a newly born baby who has just been baptised.  We can’t, there is none.  All souls are ageless and eternal.  It is only the body in which the soul is encased, that ages due to it being temporary.   During its stay in the body the soul does not age, what it does is, increase its knowledge of God, of life, wisdom add love.  The spiritual growth of a soul depends on the will of the person in whose body it resides.  The soul will live on after its earthly body dies, for the soul is life. 

Eternal life in its entirety means a complete union with God in paradise.  Eternal death is the complete separation from God to the realm of Satan in hell.  That is why we should never forget when all earthly creation has ended; every soul will receive its new body, irrespective of where their destination lies. The Lord God Himself has assured us of this.  Through some of the teachings of the church fathers, we have come to understand, in all probability; the moment we leave this body we gain all Gods knowledge of creation.  If so, it would give us a clearer understanding of purgatory.  For reasons, known only to God, we are not ready for union with God? we are sent there to be purged of any remaining defects.  Unfortunately with our new found knowledge of God causes great distress, until we are fully united in God.  I believe this is the real agony of purgatory.  We who remain on earth must constantly pray for the speedy release of the holy souls.  About hell no comment is needed.  I hope and pray that people will understand the Importance of staying close to God, by means of his established church here on earth.  We must take advantage of all the graces, Christ earned for us on Calvary.  A greater effort is needed if we are to change our way of life

We need to focus on our spiritual life and less on the things of this life if we are to avoid the gates of hell.  There are no ifs, ands, or buts, this is a must.  Seventy per cent of Catholics living in the western world have been lured away from the church, being brainwashed into believing the world has the answer to all our problems.  Its offer of happiness, peace, joy, prosperity, and a distorted sense of love, is utter rubbish.  Take a moment; ponder on the state of today’s world.  You will realise the emptiness of these promises.  Sadly, separation from God and His church has little or no consequence to very many Catholics today.  The demise of the faith among the laity is due to their lack of knowledge of it.  Failure to know about God and His Blessed Mother, and failure to involve them in our daily lives has led to this disaster.  But we must never lose hope in God.  No one, absolutely no one, is ever beyond the saving grace of God.  We have only to seek that grace and it will be granted.  That is the choice every one of us has to make.  God does not force anyone to love Him.  He offers us the choice of eternal life or eternal death.  God’s desire is for every soul to pick life and He encourages us to do so every day of our lives.  However God will respect any decision we make and on that decision we will be judged accordingly.   We must be more attentive to Gods words preached by the priests at every mass. It is through the ear the word of God reaches the soul.  Eternal life is forever, be it in paradise or hell, a truth we can’t escape from                     

 GOD   BLESS 

 

Any comments please refer to my e-mail address

mageehugh80@hotmail.co.uk

                                                  MINDSET                                   

   Such a small word made up of only seven letters yet it is of great significance in the depth of its meaning.  Dating back to before the fall of mankind.  Mindset, or otherwise, to set your mind on anyone or anything.  In time this usually happens without our being aware of it.  When humanity resided in paradise, we were fully focused on God and his holy will.  We know via biblical history Adam was approached by the leader of a higher ranked creative beings called angels, better known today as Satan.  He was of the highest rank in the angelic creation.  Though he had everything, he encouraged one third of the angels to rebel against God.  His intentions, to remove God, and take His place.  Due to the many angels who remained loyal to God, Satan and his followers were defeated and banished from heaven for all eternity.  Because of his defeat, his hatred for God and all that belongs to God, especially the human race, exists to this very day.  Unfortunately he was able to persuade Adam and the rest of humanity to change their minds and rebel against God which led to our banishment from heaven.  We must never forget and always be thankful to the love, mercy, and understanding of our God our banishment was not permanent.  Yet God kept a relationship with Adam and his descendants, encouraging them to keep focused on Him and the place they had come from.  This mindset was carried on down through the ages, via, Abraham, Moses, Joseph etc.  God promised a savour would come, repay mans debt and reconcile man with God.  A saviour who would reopen the gates of heaven to all souls who would to listen His word, and obey His will.  With the coming of Christ, this promise was fulfilled.  From its apostolic origin, the catholic church has remained faithful to Christ’s teaching, encouraging all to keep focused on God and our spiritual destiny.  Tragically in the last one hundred years the church has become weaker and so has our faith.  In today’s world, Satan appears to be winning battle after battle, for control of our hearts and minds.  All that Christ and His church have taught us seems to have been discarded in favour of the things of this world.  Our mindset is absorbed by, money power, TVs, internet etc.  Morally we have turned this world into a toxic wasteland.  Know this, Satan cannot make us bad, but he can make us busy, so busy we have no time for God.  A great spiritual battle still rages around us between God and Satan for the hearts and minds of all souls.  I believe we have come to a most critical time in our existence.  With most of the worlds communication aids at his back and call, he has reached into every home in western society and has control of their mindsets.  Prayer is the safe guard to all who remain faithful to God and will be safe under His protection.  This evil will only be defeated by the intervention of God Himself.  This i believe is inevitable.  What is most frightening, at what cost to the human race will this action bring.  We must listen to our Blessed Mothers appeal to the church worldwide, repent, change your mind set and pray more often, especially family prayer.  Ask yourselves this question, what is it worth to me to keep my children out of hell?  In these daunting times we must involve God more in our daily lives and learn to trust more in His love and His mercy and pray for the graces to see us through.  All else must be a poor second.

MAY THE BLESSiNGS OF GOD AND HIS HOLY MOTHER ENIER INTO ALL YOUR HEARTS AND REMAIN THERE FOREVER          AMEN

GOD  BLESS

          GODS      LOVE      FOR      US

Have we ever given much thought to, the real meaning of what the love of God presents to us?  Firstly, let us look at the Holy Family.  Mary, a young girl of sixteen years, consents to a request from God, to become the mother of His Son.  Her positive response came from amongst feelings of confusion, fear, anxiety.  Her YES was the result of her love and devotation to God.  There was no great emotional outburst, just a simple, THY WILL BE DONE.  That attitude of our Blessed Mother She carried with Her throughout Her life.  A life fraught with sorrow, danger and suffering, yet Her love for God only grew stronger.  Joseph, Her husband, silent and resolute, committed to the protection and welfare of his family.  Despite the hardship of their calling, their happiness and joy lay in the knowledge that Gods love would see them through no matter what the consequence; they would remain loyal to carrying out His will. 

Through the gospels we have a very clear picture of the sort of life our Lord and Savour experienced.  A life that finally ended in torture and death on a cross.

Contrary to much of the teachings of today’s modern world, to say yes to God and live our lives accordingly, is just a stroll in the park, is misguiding.  Knowing the way of life the Holy Family went through, the exhausting public ministry of Christ.  The constant battles of our church down through the ages, even to this present time, is no dawdle in any park. 

God’s love is an interior motivation to open ourselves to His love and greater understanding of what He wants from us.  Each one of us has a role to play, not only in our own salvation, but for those immediately around us, our families, our neighbours, and our parish.  This is the foundation on which our faith is based on.  If we fully agree to the will of God, He will surely see us safely home.  We must try to change our hearts and our mind-set.  To embrace the great gifts Christ won for us-the SACRAMENTS- our love for God would truly start to blossom.  It would help to change our parish into a better place to live in, for us and our children.  Take note, nothing is ever gained without sacrifices.  Each conversion that takes place must begin within ourselves then and only then can we reach out to others.  Think about this, how many times have we felt rotten inside, by the things we say and do, like gossiping about others misfortunes, constant complaining, feelings of hatred, jealously etc.  Most of the time we feel good about ourselves.  So why can’t we do the same to others who have their faults, and persevere with them.  If you truly know of how weak you are and are able to show tolerance to others in their strife, you are well on your way to salvation.  If God loves everybody then he loves me.  This is the basis of the caring love we need to share with those less fortunate than ourselves.  To seek a fellowship with all who are seeking help.  To realise we are not above them but one with them.  That is the beauty of God’s love.   Our faith is not just about a bunch of rules to follow.  Because God is love, by our actions we can be witnesses to that love and hopefully change a lost soul’s life.  We put too big a burden on our church and our priests, who are the guardians and administrators of Gods gifts.  We must become more aware of GOD by reading the bible.  Priests cannot be expected to explain the scriptures in the fifteen minutes given to them. To become more learned of scripture, we must read the bible.  By doing so we would progress a lot faster in our spiritual growth.  If we have time to study the soaps, sports stars, showbiz world etc.   THEN WHY NOT OUR GOD.  OUR God outweighs everything.  We must not offend our God by evil or sinful actions, in thought, word and deed.  All sinful actions must be condemned, but we must avoid judging those who perpetrate these deeds.  The judge of all creation will administer true justice when the time comes.  Live a life honouring and serving God, because He is all merciful, all forgiving, and all love.        GOD  BLESS  EVERYONE.      

                 THE      BEAUTY     OF     MOTHERHOOD

Numerous titles have been bestowed on our Blessed Mother throughout the ages.  But of all the titles ever attributed to her, either by the angels or human beings, pale into insignificance in the light of one title, MOTHER OF GOD, given to her by the creator off all life, God Himself.  Then what wonder, what beauty, what splendour is encompassed in the title of motherhood.  Every woman blessed by the gift of bringing forth life, should be honoured and respected by all humanity.  Regrettable as it is, this modern world however, has dishonoured, degraded, and turned the female form into objects of desire, lust, to be used or abused, to further its own ends, of a corrupt, unscrupulous world, filled with an obsession for power, greed, and control.  This blog is a response to an incident i saw on the national T. V. News concerning a young mother who was breast feeding her infant child in the premises of Clarridges Hotel.  She was approached by the hotels manager, who requested, could she cover up the action she was doing as it was unsettling to many of the clientele using the hotel.  In an act of courtesy, he acquired a table cloth to assist her.  His Explanation was that it was in line with Clarridges policy.  I have a query to put to this manager? Has he ever observed the females who frequent his hotels and discos especially at week-ends?  If he had done so, and carried out hotel policy, he would have been compelled to refuse entry to at least seventy per cent of them due to the mode of clothing they were wearing.  As in all probability they were revealing more of their breasts than this young mother was revealing.  This blog, i must state, is not to criticise modern day fashion or how women dress.  It is a criticism of the failure of the hotel, to explain, was it the showing of her breast, which was not evident on T.V or the sight of a young baby feeding that is against hotel policy that promoted him to take this action.  And what did the customers find offensive, the revealing of her breast, the baby feeding, or both.  How can any normal society accept this as justifiable behaviour? Yet deem breast feeding in public uncomfortable.  The western world allegedly champions the cause of human rights and moral standards but everyone knows this to be farcical as it is well known that it is the monetary system that set the standards.    We as Christians have to depend on our churches and its shepherds for leadership and guidance, but in recent years they have become silent on many serious matters that concern the laity.  Reasons that is known only to themselves.  In a sense we have almost been deserted.  I believe that their concerns for worldly aims is at the detriment of spiritual growth.  The failure of all Christian sects to unite as one in this battle against evil unnerves me.  Any more failure to act will only drive home the final nails in the coffin of Christianity.  This act of disrespect to motherhood and many other evils is affront in the eyes of God.  We profess our love for God but we fail to show it.  We must wake up to Gods will and his teachings and start to act before it is too late.  Christ will be victorious in the end.  We must be determined to share in that victory or lose every thing

HAVE A HOLY AND HAPPY CHRISTMAS,     AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR

GOD BLESS EVERYONE                       

       

                     THE    TRUE       MEANING       OF       CHRISTMAS        

We have now begun the countdown to Christmas. The hurrying and scurrying about, anxious moments, financial worries etc.  Mustn’t forget the tree, lights, toys, presents, Christmas cards, food, wine, what’s on T V, and much more.  When and where does it all stop? Strangely something is missing.  I forgot, Christ is missing.  Nothing strange about that, He has been missing now for a couple of decades or more.  This brings me to ask the question, why is it still called Christmas when Christ is missing.  This amazes me, knowing that the birth of Christ is one of the three most important moments in the history of the human race.  The acceptance of our Blessed Mother to become the Mother of God, the birth of Christ, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  On that holy night, heaven was so full of joy, God sent a choir of angels to announce in song, the wonder of this birth, Glory to God in the highest.  This night has been celebrated for over two thousand years worldwide.  Alas this devotion has been replaced by pagan rituals.  The hymn now says, Glory to the God of the high street.  Our obsessions for worldly things, leaves us with a void, emptiness.  By boxing day when all the turkey and ham has disappeared, T V is lousy, we are usually left with that deflated feeling.  Our minds now dwell on the coming new year.  Prospects of the coming year bring with it the normal uncertainty, boring prospects of another year.  Take note, this mind set is of our own choosing.  By omitting Christ from our lives we have abandoned the true source , of love, hope, and joy, namely, Jesus Christ our savour.  It is God’s love that gives us the strength and purpose to face all the new year will bring.  Let the material world belong to the very young at Christmas, while we can enhance their joy, by turning more to the spiritual message of Christmas.  Try to live this message of love and hope every day. We need to focus on our eternal future.  If we are not certain about our faith in God, the concept of eternal life is likely to become meaningless to us, like a fairytale that many people have outgrown.  If Christ is distant and Christ is the one who brings us to eternal life, then eternal life must also be distant, and therein lies the root of most of our problems.  By praying to God through His Blessed Mother it will be a reality for us to recover, no matter how slowly, our faith, trust, and love of God takes.  The salvation of our souls and that of our families lie in the choice we and our families make.  That is the true meaning of Christmas.                           

    

 Have a holy and wonderful Christmas.                     

May God bless you and all your families where ever they are

HUGO  MAGEE

               OUR            UNSTABLE         FAITH    

Due to our lack of guidance, especially from our churches at parish level, i believe that being left to our own devices we have become indifferent, opened ourselves to a very distorted view of Christianity.  As Catholics we cannot grasp any longer what is sinful and what is not.  Our whole attitude to God and His church, and i am putting this mildly, is sadly lacking in zeal, no commitment, no reverence, and only a mild form of love.  All that we hold sacred towards our salvation, from Christ’s days on earth, up to a hundred years ago, is rapidly being eroded.  The reason being for this, the church has to modernise itself to encompass the changing attitudes of modern society.       A society built on materialistic views and self preservation.  In other words, God and spiritual matters are no longer relevant.  For the many who still cling to true faith, unfortunately are being swamped by homilies that place social issues, poverty, health and self esteem at the expense of the welfare of the soul.  Never forget, all things of the body are temporary.  To cater for them as first choice your time will be wasted, as the body does not last and one day will crumble into dust. The soul on the other hand exists forever and must be our primary concern.  If we take as much interest in our faith as we do in worldly things, i pods, high tech games, alcohol and drugs, then maybe we can retrieve some of our lost dignity.  We appear to worry too much about the welfare of ourselves and our children that we forget to focus on our spiritual state.  This leads to a shrinking of our moral standards’.   By rejecting Gods way, we become isolated from each other, more self cantered.  This is very evident in all homes, where daughters and sons isolate themselves for many hours on their own with their gadgets.  This attitude contributes to the moral decline of our faith in parishes worldwide.  The church must strive to become the centre of parish life.  Failure to do so could lead to the collapse of our faith and the loss of many souls.  I have heard several times, you can love God even if you don’t go to mass.  :Perhaps: but i am curious as to the kind of love this represents.  Holy Mass is the centre of our faith.  It’s the greatest expression of our love and devotion to our God.  By our presence at mass we will come to recognise the great love and commitment our God has for us.  Yet there many other ways in which to love and serve our God e.g. pray the rosary, holy hours, be involved with charity groups, and live your daily lives as true Catholics.  Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be nourished daily if it is to grow.  By attending mass, we witness the death of Christ, whose cross is firmly planted at the centre of mass, and we should plant our daily crosses, though smaller in statue, firmly besides His.  With Christ we offer our daily crosses to the praise, glory, and commitment to the will of our heavenly Father.  No greater act of love can surpass this action.  By doing this you will be assured of heaven

Christ Our Lord was born into the human family by becoming one of us.  During His lifetime He founded a new way of life for the betterment of humanity.  Given His status He has more of a right to be heard in this world.  More than the other rights groups such as, civil rights, gay rights, pro life, social issues etc, etc.  We can disagree with each other, but all should have the right to speak.  Many groups are supported by the pillars of society, governments, civil servants, news media, and law makers.  Sadly the most restricted of all seems to be those who support the views of Christianity.  Many of their symbols have been banned; many sections of their way of life have been outlawed.  It appears as if the world societies are anti Christian.  As Catholics we must not be silenced.  Our church leaders must pick up the mantle, fearlessly proclaim the catholic faith openly and vigorously, irrespective of the scabs and sores it carries.  Failure to do so may lead to , not a church controlled faith, but a faith controlled by the state.  Their reasoning message to the world, eat, drink, be merry, tomorrow we die, nothing else matters. 

THATS THE DOCTRINE OF MODERN LIFE.                                GOD   BLESS

               GODS KINGDOM               FAITH              COMMITTMENT      

At various times throughout my life and in all probability the lives of a great many Catholics i have tried to reason with my faith.  What is it that makes us believe, especially as there is no tangible evidence to subdue our reasoning?  Our instinctive notion of faith is the response to Gods divine presence in our souls.  A friendship of mutual love, of person to person.  A love that should incite us to be, caring and devoted to all souls.  It might be a duty, or it might be a merit, but faith cannot exist without hope.  If there is something we believe to be true, then we should not only say it, we must do it.  Living in modern times, unbelief is unavoidable in an age of intellect.  We must never forget, that with due consideration,       faith requires an act of will.  In an atmosphere where unbelief loudly speaks out, those who champion faith must also speak out loudly.  As falsehoods assail truth, truth must assail falsehoods, and we must pray for the courage to do so.  It’s frightening, that this world so shamefully fosters such low ambitions that sets everybody on the lookout for success.  To amass money, to gain power, never wavering in their quest for fame and fortune in whatever shape or form.  All this is done at the expense, of our most deepest thoughts, all that makes us holy and calm, weakening our moral values.  How then can we be persuaded of this great truth, in spite of its outward appearances, human society, as we find it, is but a part of an invisible world that is divided into two companies.  The children of God and the children of Satin.  That some souls are administered unto by angels, others led captive by devils.  This warfare has existed between the kingdom of light and the powers of darkness since the dawn of time.  Our allegiance to our God and His Blessed Mother must be supreme, no matter how we feel.  As often as we can we must witness openly on their behalf.  Great prayer is offered up daily by the millions of pilgrims who visit holy shrines all over the world.  This commitment to prayer must be sustained openly on their returning home,  as witnesses to the value of their journeys and a great encouragement to those who did not go.  The rewards of these actions and through the intersession of our Holy Mother, the Angels and the Saints, great graces have been poured out on the human race.  Yet much more is needed to combat the evils of this world.  Those pilgrims worldwide, returning from Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje Rome etc must unite in open and common prayer in catholic parishes worldwide.  This then will stand as a monument to the authenticity of their commitment to God and his Holy Mother as well as a pointer to the validity of all shrines.  If we need encouragement to do so just think of the many sons  and daughters (our brothers and sisters) of God being led astray by the powers of darkness using the lures of this world .  Do it for this if not for any other reason.  We owe it to God and to them to do so.  If we take time to digest the necessicity of prayer that protects our daily way of life, we should study the words of the Lord’s Prayer, evil all around us, likelihood of temptation, sin to be avoided, Gods will in our hearts, Gods name on our lips, Gods kingdom our hope.  This is the view it gives us to what it means to be a Christian.   

GOD BLESS